“Who are we? Big Hollywood studios! What do we want? Cool shark action! …But not too bloody, please, okay?” You can imagine studio representatives and advisors sitting around a large table and patting themselves on the back with satisfaction because they once again got both: a shark blockbuster and an age rating that makes it a family film.
That there wonderful Metzel potential is given away is secondary. This was exactly the same fate that befell Meg with Jason Statham. The film adjusts the action controls as much as possible and thereby creates its own fun factor. But you look at the original plans and, above all, the Book template by Meg, whole worlds of untapped potential suddenly open up as a gore-fest. Meg is now on Amazon Prime.
Meg on Amazon Prime has a simple yet ingenious formula: Jason Statham versus giant shark
What could go wrong when super-rich people get a little too curious and poke around in the deepest depths of the ocean? That’s right: everything. This is also the case in Meg, in which there is a billionaire Deep sea research and especially the Mariana Trench. The researchers suspect that the area previously known as the “bottom” of the trench may just be a cloud of gases and that things are still going on underneath.
A research team goes underground in a submarine – and confirms their suspicions. But shortly afterwards they realize that they woke up something down there. Something big. Something that keen shark lovers will be happy to see on the screen: a megalodon, a giant shark from prehistoric times and the inspiration for the title of the film. The deep sea crew must be rescued. Enter Jason Statham aka Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver.
Warner Bros.
Jason Statham (and visit) in Meg
Of course, it’s not just a rescue operation or a single encounter with the monster shark, and so the lives of countless people are soon at stake. After all, the Meg wouldn’t be a true opponent for Statham if he were satisfied after a few ocean explorer snacks. What follows is absurd action on the largest shark scale possible.
Meg’s original featured a lot more carnage than the film – and even a dinosaur
For any fan of sophisticated shark horror, the starting point in Meg initially sounds heavenly. But in fact, Meg remains very anemic for a story about a hungry prehistoric shark. The original plans for Meg looked different. The film underwent a transformation over the course of its production history and went from a bloody horror shocker to a mainstream blockbuster candidate. This is all the more tragic when you look at the history of the Book template throws.
The novel is just as brutal in its depiction of violence as it is crazy in its images. The plot is just as flat, but according to the entertainment site Yahoo News, author Steve Alten doesn’t mince his words when it comes to it most disgusting details of a monster attack. Everything is described as clearly and unvarnished as possible.
But that’s not enough. Steve Alten writes some epic and crazy scenes that could have looked incredibly cool in the final film. This is how the Meg’s destructiveness is introduced by the shark in ancient times mauled a Tyrannosaurus rex. Later there is a direct, detailed duel between a nuclear submarine and the Meg.
Oh yes, and there’s the fact of how Meg dies in the book: The protagonist enters the monster’s interior, punches his way through its innards, and then stabs its heart with a petrified megalodon tooth. In comparison, the film ending is unfortunately the kindergarten version.
You can now stream Meg with Jason Statham on Amazon Prime in a flat rate.